Keeping it closed
Closures have been the bane of my tailoring existence for the past year. Yes, I am a busty woman. Yes, my gowns are supposed to curve over shape of the bust, not change the shape. Somehow with these conditions I have only rarely managed to make a gown that was both easy to put on and look right. Last summer I made 2 gowns that I need to be sewn into. When people look at me in amazement and say "You sew yourself in every time? Thats dedication" I hate that I have to respond "no thats bad tailoring". I dont sew myself in because its more period... in fact, sewing yourself in would be a horrendous waste of time and materials. Maybe the highest crust of society were sewn into their fanciest outfits but surely the middle classes were no more interested in taking 2 hours to get dressed then we are today.
A few months ago, I was in crisis. I needed a gown to be finished before going away camping for 2 weeks where I did not want to have to sew myself in every day. landsknecht_po saved me!!! He looked at what I was doing and suggested I try putting the hooks and eyes closer together. I was placing them about 1.5" apart and he suggested a 3cm spacing. Low and behold... it worked!! (There is a reason he is a costuming laurel!) So the green gown was completed.
Made of the same material as the green gown (100% linen outer layer, linen/cotton inner lining and a 100% linen lining) this bodice was softer. It wasn't holding lines as well as the green one and after sewing on 30 sets of hooks and eyes there was still gapping and pulling across the bust.
Thats 60 little hooks and eyes I sewed on, picked some off to adjust the placement, re-sewed on again, did up just to find the closure line gaping and pulling.
Yep, that sure is a lot of hooks and eyes.
Pulling them all off, I replaced them with about 25 lacing rings per side having seen this treatment put to good use on other peoples projects. (no photos, sorry). I offset them to keep things straight and spaced them about 3 cm apart. Utter failure. Complete and utter failure. Lacing rings put too much stress on single points and can't be sewn down close enough to the edge to lay flat. Essentially, lacing rings work great if you want to lace across an opening (a la the Cranach style gowns) or you dont need to hold anything in place. Not good for closures with stress on them.
In a slump, I put the dress away for a week and made an awesome hat!
Its a Landsknecht style tellerbarret made for Til who won an underware contest in May of 2010. Unfortunatly some dude hit a guy with a stick and I got super busy the week after he won the contest. For how these are made, see my diary for Steinn's Tellerbarret. I added 10 hand curled feathers around the brim to give it extra swank! Its hard to tell from the photo, but the hat is 100% navy blue wool as the outter layer and an emerald green 100% silk interlining shown through at the slashes in the brim and under the folds in the cap.
At some point at the end of last week I had an inspiration. What if I tried using the big hook and eyes (I am not really sure what size they are, but they are what a lot of people use on cloaks and jackets). At this point, what do I have to lose? My only other option is to sew myself in, the exact thing I am trying to avoid! I dug out my hooks and eyes and started putting them on. I made it about 1/2 and tried it on. Low and behold! They were working!!! They are spaced about 3cm apart from the center of the hooks and work beautifully!! I finished putting them all on and the bodice fits nice and snug. It might even be supportive now.
I did something different then I usually do with the guards this time. I actually cut them to follow the shape of the bodice rather then cutting a long strip then mitering the corners. The waste of fabric is much higher but the look is better.
The red silk dupioni is really bad for fraying so I zigzagged all the edges last night then pinned them down to the bodice. I am in love with the contrast.
It does look like ketchup and mustard though. So the working title of this gown is the "Condiment Gown"!
A few months ago, I was in crisis. I needed a gown to be finished before going away camping for 2 weeks where I did not want to have to sew myself in every day. landsknecht_po saved me!!! He looked at what I was doing and suggested I try putting the hooks and eyes closer together. I was placing them about 1.5" apart and he suggested a 3cm spacing. Low and behold... it worked!! (There is a reason he is a costuming laurel!) So the green gown was completed.
Made of the same material as the green gown (100% linen outer layer, linen/cotton inner lining and a 100% linen lining) this bodice was softer. It wasn't holding lines as well as the green one and after sewing on 30 sets of hooks and eyes there was still gapping and pulling across the bust.
Thats 60 little hooks and eyes I sewed on, picked some off to adjust the placement, re-sewed on again, did up just to find the closure line gaping and pulling.
Yep, that sure is a lot of hooks and eyes.
Pulling them all off, I replaced them with about 25 lacing rings per side having seen this treatment put to good use on other peoples projects. (no photos, sorry). I offset them to keep things straight and spaced them about 3 cm apart. Utter failure. Complete and utter failure. Lacing rings put too much stress on single points and can't be sewn down close enough to the edge to lay flat. Essentially, lacing rings work great if you want to lace across an opening (a la the Cranach style gowns) or you dont need to hold anything in place. Not good for closures with stress on them.
In a slump, I put the dress away for a week and made an awesome hat!
Its a Landsknecht style tellerbarret made for Til who won an underware contest in May of 2010. Unfortunatly some dude hit a guy with a stick and I got super busy the week after he won the contest. For how these are made, see my diary for Steinn's Tellerbarret. I added 10 hand curled feathers around the brim to give it extra swank! Its hard to tell from the photo, but the hat is 100% navy blue wool as the outter layer and an emerald green 100% silk interlining shown through at the slashes in the brim and under the folds in the cap.
At some point at the end of last week I had an inspiration. What if I tried using the big hook and eyes (I am not really sure what size they are, but they are what a lot of people use on cloaks and jackets). At this point, what do I have to lose? My only other option is to sew myself in, the exact thing I am trying to avoid! I dug out my hooks and eyes and started putting them on. I made it about 1/2 and tried it on. Low and behold! They were working!!! They are spaced about 3cm apart from the center of the hooks and work beautifully!! I finished putting them all on and the bodice fits nice and snug. It might even be supportive now.
I did something different then I usually do with the guards this time. I actually cut them to follow the shape of the bodice rather then cutting a long strip then mitering the corners. The waste of fabric is much higher but the look is better.
The red silk dupioni is really bad for fraying so I zigzagged all the edges last night then pinned them down to the bodice. I am in love with the contrast.
It does look like ketchup and mustard though. So the working title of this gown is the "Condiment Gown"!